Safety means for humidity-regulating apparatus.



W. H. CARRIER.

SAFETY MEANS FOR HUMIDITY REGULATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Aua.1.1912.

Patented May 4, 1915.

2 SHEETS--SHEET l.

W. H. CARRIER.

SAFETY MEANS FOR HUMIDITY REGULATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.7,1912.

Patented May 4, '1915;l

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, NITED STATES PATENT onFIoE.

'WILLIS H. CARRIER, OF BUFFALO,l NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 BUFFALO FOGE COMPANY,

' 0F BUFFALO,

NEW YORK.

SAFETY MEANS FOR HUMIDITY-REGULATING- APPARATUS.

Application led August 7,

T0 all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIS H. CARRIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Means for Humidity- Regulating Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to 4improvements in humidity regulating systems of thatgkind in which the water for humidifying the'air is heated, or the'temperature in the humidifying apparatus is otherwise regulated so as to saturate `the air at` a denite Vtemperature depending `upon the desired humidity in the room to which the humidified air is supplied. U. S. Patent No. 854,270 granted May 21,1907, to` myself, assignor to Buffalo Forge Company, discloses, a humidity lregulating system of ithis 'sort in which the temperature of the water for saturating the air is regulated by4 a thermostat which responds to fluctuations in the temperature of the humidied air and controls the pressure of air for actuating means by which the temperature of the water is regula-tedv as may be necessary to maintain the required temperature in the hum1d1- fier. A failure in either the water or the air pressure from whatever cause it may arise, will result in an abnormal rise in the temperature in the humidifier andan excessive, humidit rlhe object of the invention is to provide humidity regulating systems of this nature, in which the humidity is dependent upon they temperature maintained in the humidifier, with safety means for preventing lexcessive humidity of the air in the event of thefailure of the water pressure, or,in Yone embodiment ofthe invention,.in the event of the failure of either the water; pressure or the pressure of the air which is used for acl f tuating the temperature regulating means.

The safety means forming the subject of this invention isvapplicable to said patented system and also to systems in which nthe temperature in the humidifying apparatus is regulated in other ways, as, for example, by inJecting steam into the water before the water is sprayed into thevair, and by supplying steam directly 'to the humidifying chamber.

Two embodiments of the invention are i Specification of Letters Patent.

1912. vSerial N0. 713,855.

' disclosd in this application. lIn the diret,

the-supply of steam for heating the water is regulated under normal Iconditions by `a valve actuated by compressed air, the pressure of which is varied by a thermostat in response to changes in the humidifed air in such a way that an increase in air pressure due to a rise in the temperature of the humidiiied air will decrease the supply of steam, while a'decrease in air pressure due to a drop in the temperature of the humidi fled air will cause an increased supply of steam. The steam supply line is also proovided with a reversely acting valve which is held open by air pressure supplied through a valve which is normally held open by` the Patented May 4, 1915..

failure in the air pressure itself or a failure in the Water pressure which will cause the Water-actuated valve to operate to reduce the pressure of the actuating air. A failure in either the air or the water pressure from any cause will, therefore, result in the steambeing shut off and will prevent excessive humidifying.

In the second embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, which operates only in the event of a failure in the water pressure, a valve which is normally heldclosed by the water pressure will operate, ifv the p water pressure fails, to admit a1r pressure directly to the thermostatically controlled steam supply valye so as to shut off the steam and prevent excessive humidifying.

In the accompanyingdrawings, consisting of two sheets: Figure l is a sectional plan,

' partly diagrammatic, of a humidifying apparatus provided with safety means arranged according to the rst mentioned. embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the water pressure actuated device. Fig. 3 is a section of the steam regulating valves. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections in different planes of the water pressure actuated device. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of the second embodiment of the invention. Fig. 7 is a section of the water actuated Ivalve employed in the construction shown in Fig. 5.

Like reference characters refer to `like parts in the several figures.

ioo

a fan B, nozzles C for spraying water into esA the spray chamber A for humidifying the air, an eliminator D for separating the 'free Water from the humidied air, a pump E which draws the spray water by a pipe e from a collecting well in the bottom of the spray chamber and delivers it by a pipe e to the spray nozzles, and ay steam injector or heater F connected with the suction pipe e for heating the spray water. The supply of steam to the injector is'regulated by al.

diaphragm valve G in the steam pipe 'gs' actuated by compressed air, the pressure of which is controlled by a thermostat H which is inuenced by and responds to changes in the temperature ofthe humidified air. The thermostat controls the pressure of the air in'a'pipe h leading from a tank it', or other source of compressed air, to the actuating diaphragm 'of the steam valve G and operates.V automatically to increase'the air pressure in the pipe h and cause the steam valve to close more or less and reduce the steam supply when the temperature of the humidied air rises above the predetermined temperature which it is desired to maintain, and to decrease the air pressure and cause the steamjvalve to open and increase the steam supply when the temperature of the humidified airdrops below said predetermined temperature. j The humidifying apparatus as thus described except in combination with the safety means presently described forms no part of this invention and it may be of the construction described,which is well known, or of any other known or suitable vconstruction in which the heating medium for regulating the temperature of the humidied air is adapted to be controlled by the' safety means as hereinafter explained. I represents a second diaphragm valve controlling the steam'supply pipe g. This valve lis actuated by air pressure in a pipe i connecting with the compressed air supply and oerates reversely to the regulating valve that is, it is held `open by the air pressure and willclose and 'shut od the steam if the air pressure in the pipe i fails.v

The passage of air to the shut ed valve 1 through the pipe i is controlled by a valve or device K adapted to relieve the air pressure in the pipe z upon a failure inthe water pressure. the device comprises a casing 7c connected in the pipe i and provided with oppositely arranged valves 1c" and 72:2, theformer control` `ling a passage cconnectingthe interior of the casing lc with the pipe and the latter controlling a relief passage le* leading to lthe atmosphere. The'sevalves 7c k2 are connected by a yoke or lever kt operated by a In the construction shown, i

niemeer diaphragm 76, which is actuated by the pressure of the spray water and is connected to the yoke by a plunger lc'. rThe movement of the plunger by the diaphragm is opposed by a spring ka, the tension of which can be adjusted by a nut la. Water pressure is communicated to the diaphragm cf by a pipe L connecting the diaphragm chamber with the water supply pipe e for the spray nozzles. ln Athe normal operation of the humidifying apparatus the water pressure on the diaphragm lo will hold the valve k open and the valve k2 closed, thus permitting the passage of compressed lair to the diaphragm of the'shut 01T valve I. If, however, the water pressure drops below a desired minimum determined by the adjustment o f the spring las, the valve 7c will bev seated and intercept the supply of compressed air to the shut off valve I, and the reliefvalve k2 will be opened and relieve the air pressure on the shut olf valve through the lpassage h4, thus allowingy the shut o valve to close and cut o the supply of steam to the water heater G.

The apparatus constructed as above described will therefore operate to cut olf the failure of either the water or the air pressure.

The pressure actuated device K per se is not a part of this invention and any other device adapted to relieve the air pressure on the shut off valve upon a failure of the v water pressure could be used.

'ln the apparatus shown in Figs. 6 and 7,

the steam shut oi" valve l and the water presv sure actuated device K are omitted, and an air pipe L connects the diaphragm offthe steam supplyA valve xGr directly with, the' compressedair supply. The passage of air through this pipe is controlled lby a valve M of any suitable sort which is normally held closed by the pressure of the spray water communicated to the actuating dial.-v phragm thereof through a pipe N connect" -steam supply lto the water heater upon, a

ing with the water supply pipe e. If the Y water pressure fails, the valve M will openand the pressure of the air thus admitted to the diaphragm of the steam valve Gr will close this valve and shutd ou' the steam suppliy..V j

l c aim as m invention:

1. In a humidifying apparatus, the com-I bination with Water supply means, heating means, and means which normally regulate the heating means to control the temperature in the humidifier, of means which are controlled by the water pressure and act upon a failure in the water pressure to render said the temperature in the humidifier, of means which are controlled by the water pressure and act upon a failure .in the water pressure to alter the effect -of said heating means, submeans, and fluid actuated means which normally regulate the heating meansto control the temperature ir. the humidifier, of means which are controlled by both said uid pressure and the water pressure and `act upon a failure in either the fluid pressure or the Water pressure, to render said heating means inactive, substantially as set forth.

4. In a humidifying apparatus, the combination with Water supply means, steam supply means, and fluid pressure actuated means Which normally regulate the steam supply to control the temperature in the humidifier, of`

means which act upon a failure of either the Water pressure or saidI fluid pressure to shut oli' the steam, substantially as set forth.

5. In a bumidifying apparatus, the combination with Water supply means, a steam supply valve, and means which operate said steam supply valve in response to changes in the temperature'of the humidiied air for controlling the temperature in the humidier, of means controlled by the Water pressure which act upon a failure of the Water pressure to shut off the steam, substantially as set forth.

6. In a humidifying apparatus, the combination With Water supply means, a thermostat which kresponds to changes in the temperature of the humidied a1r, and heating means which are normally actuated by fluid` pressure controlled by said thermostat for regulating the temperature in the humidifier, of means controlled by the Water pressure which act upon a failure of the Water pressure to alter the action of said heating means, substantially as set forth.

7. In a humidifying apparatus, the combination with Water supply means, a thermostat which responds to changes in the temperature of the humidilied air, and heating means which are normally actuated by fluid pressure controlled by said thermostat for regulating the temperature in the humidilier, of means which arenormally held inactive by said fluid pressure and act upon a failure of either said .iuidpressure or the` water pressure to alter the action of said heating means, substantially as setzforth.

8. In a'liumidifyingvapparatus, the combination with Water supply means, a thermostat which responds to changes in the temperature of the humidied air, and heating means which are normally controlled by fluid pressure under the control of said thermostat for regulating the temperature in the humidiier, of a device actuated by said fluid pressure for rendering said heating means inactive, and a valve which controls the passage for conveying said fluidK pressure to said device and is normally held open by the Water pressure and which closes upon a failure of the Water pressure.

9. In a humidifying apparatus, the combination with Water supply means, 'a thermostat which` responds to changes in the temperature of the humidiied air, and a steam supply valve which is normally actuated by fluid pressure controlled by said thermostat for regulating the temperature in the humidifier, ofV a shut oli" valve for the steam which is normally held open byV said fluid pressure, and a valve which controls the passage for said fluid pressure and is normally held open by the Water pressure and which closes upon a failure of the water pressure, substantially as set forth.

10. In a. humidifying apparatus, the combination WithWater 'supply means, heating means, and Huid-pressure-controlled means which normally Aregulate said heating means to control the temperature in the humidifier,

y ture inthe humidifier, of means which act automatically upon an abnormal pressure condition 1n one of said pressures to alter the heating eect of said heating means.

Witness my hand this 31st ay of July, 1912.

a WILLIS H.; CARRIER. Witnesses:

H. C. RICE, C. A. BOOTH. 

